The desirability of applying elastic of various types to garments to assist in e.g. fitting of the garments to the wearer is well known. The traditional method of securing elastic to a garment is by sewing the elastic to the garment material. The material is either gathered and the elastic is applied in a relaxed condition or the material is maintained flat and the elastic is applied in a stretched condition. The sewing of the elastic to the garment material, whether the sewing is done by hand or by machine, is slow and therefore costly in terms of the labor required.
In relatively modern technology relating to disposable garments, elastic strip material has been bonded to sheet material by the use of adhesives or heat or sonic bonding. These approaches have been commercially successful where the elastic strips have been applied with their lengths in the direction of movement of the sheet material from which the garment is formed. Efforts have also been made to apply elastic strip material with all or a portion of its length transverse to the direction of movement of the garment sheet material. Such efforts have seen limited application. An example of this approach is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,115 Schroth et al., herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In the Schroth et al. patent, an unstretched elastic ribbon is fed to a revolving roll having a first axis and placed as discrete strips on platens mounted on the revolving roll. The platens revolve with the revolving roll, and each platen rotates 90 degrees about a second axis intersecting the first axis and extending through the platen, and then deposits its discrete strip or strips on a continuous traveling web, with the strips oriented transverse to the with machine direction of the traveling web.
A limitation of the Schroth et al. teaching is that the strips of ribbon material can only be placed on the advancing continuous web in the stretch condition in which they are received at the platen. Thus, if the strips are relaxed when received on the platen, the strips are relaxed when placed on the web. The platens taught in Schroth et al. cannot stretch the strips of material prior to placing them on the advancing continuous web. However, it is preferred to apply e.g. elastic strips to a web in a stretched condition where the web is a precursor for making disposable garments therefrom. Applying elastic strips in stretched condition allows the receiving web to be laid out flat, rather than requiring the web to be gathered, when the elastic strips are applied.
The invention disclosed herein is an improvement over the teaching of Schroth et al. in that the strips of material are received on the platen in a relaxed condition, and are stretched on the platen prior to placing the strips on the advancing continuous web.